User blog:The Targaryen of District 4/The Invalid Games: A Fanfiction
Please note that this is a story that will have several chapters. You are free to read this to your heart's content. Plot Outline After a coup d'état that succeeded political tension and only increased the troubles of the country, a new family ascends to Panem's presidency. They decide to throw an extravagant Hunger Games to celebrate this, but the circumstances take a dark turn -- the reason why the 204th Hunger Games were declared invalid. Characters In order of appearance. Deceased characters are crossed out. Mentioned characters that do not appear (or do not appear yet) are in italics. When previously mentioned characters do appear - their name will be in normal text. *'Prologue:' President Revla - the President of Panem and the patriarch of the Revla presidential dynasty. A cautious and paranoid man. *'Prologue:' Willborn - Revla's trusted advisor and friend. *'Prologue:' Paquila - see reference 1. *'Chapter 1: '''Alania Brevon - The eldest of the Brevon sisters. District 0 female tribute of the 204th Hunger Games. *'Chapter 1: Aurelia Brevon - The second eldest of the Brevons. Alania's sister. *'Chapter 1: '''Alena Brevon - The twin of Amethyst and Alania's sister. The joint youngest Brevon. *'Chapter 1: 'Amethyst Brevon - The twin of Alena and Alania's sister. The joint youngest Brevon. *'Chapter 1: 'Laena Brevon - The middle child of the Brevons. Alania's sister. *'Chapter 1: 'Carinthe Platina - District 0 escort. *'Chapter 1: ''Dedonna Tylane - The victor of the 103rd Hunger Games, from District 0. Died around the year 164ADD. *'Chapter 1: Patrina Ilone - The 12 year old female District 8 tribute in the 103rd Hunger Games. Friend of Dedonna. Murdered by the District 14 male tribute. *'''Chapter 1: ''Yeris Altruthin'' - The victor of the 157th Hunger Games, from District 0. Died in 171ADD. *'Chapter 1: 'Astrid Barbaroa - ''The victor of the 198th Hunger Games, from District 0. *'Chapter 1: Meteor Monley - The victor of the 200th Hunger Games, from District 0. *'Chapter 2: '''Seremov Cataliri - The Capitol male tribute of the 204th Hunger Games. Brother of Halyn. *'Chapter 2: 'Halyn Cataliri - The Capitol female tribute of the 204th Hunger Games. Sister of Seremov. *'Chapter 2: 'Dallen Comet - District 0 male tribute of the 204th Hunger Games. Tributes of the 204th Hunger Games Submitting tributes rules *'2 characters each. *'Some spots will be taken by fanfiction characters.' *'No reservations.' *'No typed out characters. Please make pages for them.' *'Keep in mind that this is a fanfiction. Even though they may have a high chance of dying, they may be given a role.' The Story Prologue He observed the room before him. The people that stood declared their support for him, expressing their loyalty. However, he was not sure. Well, a part of him was not sure -- the abyss of his mind where paranoia resided. But, it could just be paranoia -- nothing more than that. His reign as President had only just commenced. "President Revla," Revla looked around for the person who had called his name. When he had tracked them down with his cautious grey eyes, the tense feeling within him died down -- replacing his stern expression with a sincere smile. "Willborn, friend. It is nice to see you." "It's nice to see you too. We haven't talked since the Paquila Revolt in 7A rebellion in District 7, led by an angry lumberjack named Paquila, one of many rebellions during the political tension preceeding the Revla takeover. It failed.". "Indeed." The two men concluded their warm greetings towards each other with a hug, before Revla gestured for Willborn to sit in the spot beside him. Willborn did not hesitate. "I am curious, Willborn. Just what happened to you after Paquila's quashed temper tantrum?" "Oh, well I spent time with my family. My son became a father, and his mother wanted me to be there -- to see the newborn and to give advice." "Congratulations on becoming a grandfather. You have officially joined the ranks." Revla snickered. "I cannot tell if that was meant to be genuine or sarcastic." The two men laughed in unison, catching attention. When Revla noticed that people were smiling at him, because he seemed to be happy, he replaced his amusement with an apathetic look. Towards the people who he had caught his attention, he gave a respectful nod. Willborn took notice of this. "You really do not like letting other people see you happy, do you?" "Not at all. I cannot show weakness." "Laughter is a weakness? Revla, you are surrounded by people who are-" Any trace of a warm atmosphere between the two had suddenly been erased. Revla gave Willborn a very cautious and wary look. "Can we talk in private?" "Of course, friend." The President took his good friend to the side, away from masses of people. "I do not trust people easily. In fact, I have not been feeling the joys of becoming President. Instead, I have been feeling nothing but paranoia. What if one of those people end up assass-" "I will ensure an increase in security, so you do not have to worry about being assassinated. Secondly, this may be random but do you consider this excuse of a party to be a proper way of celebrating your ascension to ultimate power in Panem?" "Not really." "I think that you hosting a new Games would be a better way to celebrate it. After all, I know that you enjoy watching the Hunger Games. And now that you are President, you will have control." "If a Hunger Games is the key to easing my paranoia, then so be it." Willborn gave Revla another smile. "You have already made your first wise decision as President." Chapter 1 - Sisters (2 weeks after the prologue) Alania's POV "It's going to be emotionally tough, but you have to be strong. Know that you're going to do it for your sisters. Your fate can go one of two ways. You will either get out of that arena alive and the Brevons no longer live in poverty, or you will die. You can't allow yourself to die. You must win." I internally told myself. But what I told myself was what I hoped to stand by. I was the eldest of five sisters, and the most able-bodied. Whilst I was on the verge of adulthood, at the age of 18, my sisters were still childrenAs the oldest, Alania views herself as the mother hen and thinks of her younger siblings as innocent children, even though they are teenagers.. They wouldn't be able to cope in a fight to the death. However, there's a flaw. They wouldn't be able to cope with my death, either. They would probably end up volunteering for next year's Games, assuming that they were capable enough to avenge me. So my job was to win the Games and make it out alive, in order to make the fate of this family comfortable. I woke four hours before the reaping was about to start. I went through the usual reaping routine: get up, wash, get dressed (despite the low temperature of District 0 making me feel unpleasant as I carried out the routine). I had to train myself to do this, since my parents were dead. Unlike the previous six reapings that I've prepared for, I gave myself a short amount of time to lie down and rest. I had some time to do so. Of course, doing this helped me solidify my decision to volunteer. When I ceased my rest, there were still a couple of hours left to spend, before the reaping was about to begin. At this point, I sat up in my bed. "Alania, can I talk to you for one moment?" Aurelia knocked on the door to my bedroom. At 17, she was the second eldest of us five -- and the second most mature. "Of course, come in." With my permission, she entered my room. Looking at her made me feel somewhat emotional, as her reaping outfit helped me to see the resemblance she bore of Mother - a white coat with a fur brim, one that she had owned since her first reaping, a grey jumper, jeans and fur boots. Her long brown hair that had been braided neatly, glistening blue eyes, pale skin and slender frame only added to my thoughts. "I know you're going to volunteer if any of us get reaped. If it's me that gets reaped, I don't want you to volunteer for me." My heart became heavy upon hearing this. "And why would you not want me to volunteer for you?" "Because I don't want to see you die, Alania." I sighed and got up to walk to Aurelia. "How many districts are going to be in the Games, Aurelia?" "Including The Capitol, 16." "And that means any of the 16 districts has a chance of gaining a victor. This year, it could be District 0. You never know." Aurelia then sighed. "I don't have the emotional strength to argue with you. All that I'm saying is that just don't want you to die, because I don't think any of us would be able to cope without you. And I didn't want anyone to die for me. But, you have a point. You'll volunteer anyway, and you could come out of it alive, so I'm going to hope for that possibility to become certain. Do you have a token?" No, I did not. "No. Why?" "I have something that you could use." She proceeded to take off her locket, which had been hidden underneath her coat. "Your locket? But Mother gave this to you before she died." "I know. But you need it more than me." I gave my younger sister a half-hearted smile, before I hugged. It was my own way of saying thank you. Luckily for me, she could acknowledge that it was half-hearted because I was feeling emotionally tired. "Where are the others?" I asked, once the hug ended. "In their rooms, I think. Amethyst was arguing with Alena over a hairbrush and Laena is updating her story. She calls it a "fanfiction"." "Are they ready?" "Laena is. Amethyst and Alena are not." "Alright. Can you keep an eye on Laena? I'll deal with the twins." "Of course." Aurelia smiled at me before exiting. I still had hold of the locket, which I curiously opened up. I'd never looked inside the locket, until now. It was a picture of us from around 10 years ago. Mother and Father were smiling, I was stood next to Mother. Aurelia stood next to Father, Laena was sat in the middle and the twins were sat on Father's laps. Not much had changed about me, except that my hair was now a darker shade of blonde and I was now more melancholy. Aurelia and the twins hadn't changed at all. Laena had slightly changed - her hair was longer back then and she didn't have the teal highlight in her hair, presumably because she hadn't discovered hair dye yet. I closed the locket and placed it around my neck. Then, I grabbed my winter coat, hat and gloves before walking into the bedroom of the twins. Alena sat on her bed, facing the wall and frowning. Her hair was a mess. Amethyst held the hairbrush that Aurelia had been talking about. "What happened guys?" I ask. "I was using the hairbrush, and because Amethyst couldn't find her own hairbrush, she stole mine!" "I asked you if I could borrow your hairbrush and you said yes. You're clearly lying." "I am not!" "You are!" "Guys, please don't argue. We have to stay strong, as a family. Considering that you've spent more time bickering with each other than getting ready, I will help you get ready faster." They simply shrugged at my suggestion. I helped them get ready, so that we could get to the reaping on time. Peacekeepers in District 0 were very strict about those who didn't arrive to the reaping on time -- I still remember witnessing one of the boys getting shot a couple of years ago. Once everyone went outside, I locked the door and gave the key to Aurelia, knowing that I was going to become a tribute today. ---- The square was packed with people dressed in winter clothing. It just happened to be extremely cold today, which was fitting for the occasion. "This is it, huh. One of us could get reaped." Laena remarked. I really wanted to tell her that I would volunteer if any of my siblings were reaped, but the cold decreased my energy -- emotionally and physically. I hugged everyone and reminded Aurelia of the key and of my plan, before making my way to the section for the 18 year old girls. My finger throbbed in pain, due to the Peacekeepers pricking my finger, but the pain was only small, compared to the sudden nausea that I felt, thanks to the cold. Nausea and headaches. I ignored the other girls, as I looked towards the stage. "Well hello District 0! You all look adorable!" The cheerfulness came from Carinthe Platina, the escort assigned to this district. She was a typical Capitolian, and a strange person, with an unhealthy obsession of the shade of purple that the Capitol call "royal purple". Apparently, it was inspired by history. Why I have that piece of knowledge, I don't know. Her curly hair was purple and shiny and her contacts were purple. What was surprising was that she didn't opt for a purple outfit this year -- she went for a silver trench coat and dress. "As always, we will show you the President's very special message for District 0, before the reapings take place. Enjoy!" I had seen this type of message for 6 years now. Traditionally, the President had to update their message to each district every 10 years. As Revla was new, he had to make his first message. Footage of different Games were shown, all of which had victors from 0. There were four Games in total. Firstly, there was the 103rd Hunger Games. Dedonna Tylane was the victor. I know this because I watched those Games. The moment she became a victor was the focus of the footage -- her ally and also a friend she made during training, Patrina Ilone, was murdered brutally by the District 14 boy, so Dedonna got her revenge by playing psychological games with him. Once that barrier was broken, she gave him a swift death with her scythe. It was even more melancholic when I realised that Patrina was the District 8 girl, and a terrified 12 year old. It was reminiscent of what I was told about the 74th Hunger Games. Dedonna died around 164ADD. But she's not the only victor of 0 who died. The next footage shown was that of the 157th Hunger Games, the victor of which was not like Dedonna. Yeris Altruthin was a sneaky, vicious tribute who joined the Career alliance and ended up betraying them. He brought down two Capitol favourites, the District 1 male and the District 2 male. But that was not what made him a victor. He won by somehow manipulating asteroids, that were implemented as a disaster, to kill off any remaining tributes. After his victory, not much was known of him besides that he lived in a mansion near the mountains, away from everyone else, and died in 171ADD. The two remaining victors were both recent victors. Astrid Barbaroa was the quiet, pretty victor of the 198th Hunger Games and Meteor Monley was the handsome, charismatic victor of the 200th Hunger Games. I watched the 198th Games, alongside the 103rd and the 157th. I didn't watch much of the 200th Games, however. On stage, Meteor arrived and sat down. A couple of girls who saw him fainted. Others were still watching the video, so they didn't notice. Once the section dedicated to the victors was over, the message from the President began. His grey eyes intimidated me. ---- "Alright, it's now time for the reapings! Yay!" She walked over to the female reaping bowl and picked up the first slip she could find. "Laena Brevon!" "I volunteer as tribute..." Just as I walked out of the section I was standing in, I felt my nausea and bodily heat increase. Chapter 2 - Curiosity "Capitol pastries are so good!" Even though my head throbbed in pain, I was able to finally regain consciousness. Just what had happened to me after I volunteered? "Welcome back to Earth, Alania dear." Carinthe. She was in...my room. We were on a... "Train. We're on the train heading for The Capitol. But first, we have to make our way through the other districts." It's like she read my mind. "I bet you're wondering what happened. You fainted." Fainted? Oh dear. It was probably shown on national television. Not a good start if I want to survive the Games and get back to my family. "Am I ill?" "Yeah, you seem to be. When we checked your temperature, it was very high." Ah, I did feel funny after all, even when I was at home. "Luckily, you do look a lot better." I seemed to feel a lot better than before, besides the pain in my head. Funny. Carinthe sat at a table, facing the only window in my compartment. The pastries she was referring to were brightly coloured donuts. She held half of a red donut in her hand. I could only presume, as it was obvious, that she ate the other half. Getting up, I still felt somewhat ill, but not as much as before. I tried to ignore my headache. "Don't worry about Panem. You could use your incident to your advantage. You know, play an angle from it." "Shouldn't I be discussing that with my mentor? Besides, you mentioned 'we' when you talked about checking my temperature and I assume you meant my mentor as well. So where are they?" "Your mentor is in the main lobby." As soon as Carinthe mentioned the main lobby, I headed there straight away. I had to pass through a corridor or two, before I finally arrived. "I hope you're feeling okay, Alania." Meteor was my mentor. He looked up from what he was reading, which was strange as there was no big title on the book or any other indication that pointed to what the book was about, to face me -- staring at me with his green eyes. They gave off a somewhat warm aura. A part of me wanted that to continue. The other wanted it to end. "I feel better than before." "That's good to hear." I sat down on the sofa. On the television was coverage of the Capitol reaping, which happened to take place at night. "When did the Capitol reapings take place?" "Oh, a couple of nights ago." The Capitol's tributes were on stage. It didn't take a genius or anyone with mental capability to figure out that they were threats. They came in the form of a brother and sister duo. The brother looked like the stereotypical arrogant boy -- he wore a peach suit that unnecessarily sparkled, his teeth were pearly white as he gave a mischievious grin to the crowd and his hair was styled in a small pompadour. On the other hand, his sister gave another impression altogether. A lot of people wouldn't notice it right away, but I could. I just had to look in the sadistic gleam in her eyes and her posture -- especially her folded arms. If I had to guess, she was going for a quiet and casual angle to hide her true personality. Luckily for her, it was working. Her choice of outfit was that of a private school uniform, with a brown trench coat over it (a trench coat that looked like a variation of Carinthe's trench coat, which makes sense considering that both of them are Capitolians), and her hair had not been styled. I thought that her hair would be long, but it was actually shoulder-length. She held a part of it in place with a dragonfly barrette.This is a reference to one of my tributes, Jayda Idylwyld. "So, Seremov, why do you want to win the Hunger Games?" "I want to win the Hunger Games to prove that I am strong and powerful. A lot of people in my life have doubted that, so now, I get a chance to show them." Seremov continued to grin whilst saying that. "What about you, Halyn?" "I want money." "And that concludes The Capitol's reaping for the 204th Hunger Games. Your tributes, Seremov and Halyn Cataliri!" ---- I turned the TV off after that. I couldn't bare to look at those two further. One is just an arrogant jerk and the other is a potential psychopath. But then again, what if I have to deal with many of those in the arena, in order to win and get home to my family? "Ah, getting to know the enemy. Clever tactic." Meteor resumed to read. "And you must have used that tactic yourself, in order to kill them later." I will admit that because I hadn't watched Meteor's Games, my assumption was based on thin ice. This was proven by the look that Meteor gave me - one of confusion. "You haven't watched my Games, have you?" "No." "Well to fill you in, Alania, I did try and get to know my opponents, as I wanted to figure out their strengths and weaknesses, but I did not use this to murder them. In fact, I didn't kill anyone." What? "You didn't murder anyone?" "No. I won purely because I used my knowledge of everyone's strengths and weaknesses to manipulate situations that would lead to their deaths. I didn't kill them in a direct sense, as I was not officially involved in their cause of deaths, but I did kill them in an indirect sense." "So what you're saying is that you're an indirect killer, but not a direct one?" "Indeed." I'm still very confused. "How did you kill them indirectly?" "Oh, you want me to give you an example. I had a disliking for the District 4 boy. He was a Career, complete with a bloodthirsty mentality. In training, I was able to discover that his biggest weakness was his fear of heights. But during one of the disasters in the arena, he climbed a tree to avoid getting mauled by the wolf muttations. I was in another tree nearby, so I watched him. He got stuck and held onto a branch, trying constantly to get onto the next branch. Knowing just how sadistic he was, as he had no remorse for killing his victims, I used a slingshot to knock him off. He fell to the ground and eventually died." "That still makes you a murderer." "We all have different interpretations of it." My head throbbed in pain again. But at least I now understood that Meteor didn't consider himself a murderer, as he didn't kill directly, but rather indirectly. I continued to spend time looking around the main lobby. There were two windows on both sides, allowing me to see that we had officially left District 0. The clock above the TV read 10:00am. A book fell out of the bookshelf. I would pick it up and put it back in, but my head felt heavy. "Are you sure you're okay?" "Well, I have a headache." Now that Meteor initiated another conversation, I looked back at him. He was still reading. He must have good concentration levels to still be reading. "Just out of curiosity, what book are you reading?" "You sure ask a lot of questions, Alania. This book is about a conspiracy theory. After the 100th Hunger Games, a secret Games was held. There was no publicity for it. No reapings were hosted. What made these Games even more interesting is that the fate of the victor remains unknown, and two of the tributes went missing. The conspiracy theory says that the two missing tributes were rebels and left clues that could lead other rebels to a place outside of Panem and hidden treasures." Wait. Treasures? Have I figured out a way to secure my family's safety, even if I die? "So if someone, preferably a rebel, solves the mystery as to what happened in those Games, they will live in peace and have money?" "Yes." A plan was starting to formulate in my mind. "There's more. From Capitol gossip, one of the Gamemakers of this year's Games knows about the theory, and wants to give one of the tributes that are supportive of the Capitol a chance to solve the mystery." Looks like I have competition then. "It's going to be a rat race, then? The Gamemaker wants to stop a rebel from solving it?" "Again, yes." I don't consider myself a rebel, however. ---- "I'm finally awake! Sorry for my laziness!" The voice came from a compartment north of the lobby. My district partner. "It's okay. Alania, have you met-" The door opened. Dallen Comet...an old enemy of mine. He was my district partner. "Dallen? Yes." "Alania? Alania Brevon?" Chapter 3 - Differences Seremov's POV The motive that I stated at the reaping, for winning these Games, was genuine. I want to win to prove my worth, because I was a victim of bullying. Of course, it does not happen anymore. However, revenge is due. My method of revenge for the trauma that I had endured will be rubbing my victory and newly acquired power in their faces. They will feel despair as my face appears once more. Having your younger sister stand up for you will not suffice. Why is this? Well, she is not particularly fond of me. She tells me that she only stood up for me because it benefitted her -- those same males ended up running around for her and completing tasks for her, only for her to break their hearts because she is not heterosexual. Luckily, I am not the only Cataliri she is not fond of. She does not like our other siblings or our mother. She only has respect for our father. And he is a criminal who ruined the family. ---- I asked her if her motive was genuine, once the reaping was over. "My motive is none of your concern. All that you need to remember is that survival is not based on who is the strongest or the smartest, it comes down to who can adapt.This is a reference to a statement made by the Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc character Celestia Ludenberg." That was her response. I could only sigh. I wanted to find a way for the both of us to win, but she does not seem to care if I die. Although the best thing I can do right now is focus on my own survival, I will be thinking of ways for the both of us to survive, even if she despises me. ---- The time was 2:00pm. We had been in this tribute accommodation building for at least four days now. I heard from gossip that the reapings were going to spread out with three day intervals because it connects to what the Gamemakers have planned, and the Games were going to be prolonged due to the trains carrying those from the districts making regular stops. So it makes sense that the District 0 reaping took place yesterday. I imagine that they must be stopping at around District 1. I have not watched the reaping, so I don't know who the tributes are or what they look like. I currently sat in my assigned room. The weather outside was stunning -- the sunlight illuminated my room, and it was a beautiful sight. It is a shame that I was forbidden from going outside. The Avoxes had dry cleaned my reaping suit, placed a protective sheet over it and hooked it onto my door. In contact with the sunlight, it sparkled. They had been insistent on dry cleaning it, once I arrived to the accommodation building, so I was left wearing clothes that looked like they belonged on a hospital patient. I was able to make note of these little details, since I had time. The TV was turned off. There was nothing good on TV, most of the channels focused on reaping coverage from 0. The lamps were turned off, since they had no reason to be turned on. Not with all this sunlight anyway. They are only useful for nighttime, really. Okay, I should probably get up. I walked over to the window that was closer to me and pushed the curtains back. I was hit by a beam of sunlight, but it was not as intense as the beams that I get hit by in the morning. Probably because my eyes had become desensitized for the day. The Capitol was bustling. Like always. After spending a certain amount of time in here, I decided to head out into the main apartment. Surely Halyn must be awake, even if she more or likely does not want to see my face. I was faced with Ikede, our escort. She sat gracefully on the sofa - legs crossed, her hands resting on top of each other. Unlike me, she was dressed. "Hello Seremov." "Hello Ikede." Before a conversation could occur, I headed for Halyn's room and knocked. "It's me." "Go away." "I'm going to come in anyway." I opened the door. There she lay, wearing some sort of a nightgown and wolfing down a bar of chocolate. "Is this how you spend your time?" "Chocolate is something that I like. I find it, I eat it." Wait, something was strange. "Did you dye your hair?" "And how is that any of your concern?" "It's not my concern. I just think it would easily be noticed by The Capitol." Her hair. The natural colour of it was auburn. The fact that her hair was not a crazy colour helped her to stand out from other citizens. Now, it was black with a white streak. To be truthful, that is not an extremely crazy hair colour, but it's such a...drastic difference. Also in that moment, I noticed that her private school uniform was hung up and in a protective sheet like mine. Next to the left side of the bed was something white. Due to the angle in which I stood, I couldn't make out what it was. "Why did you dye it?" "Again, it's none of your business." "You don't tell me anything, do you?" "I don't trust you. Yes, you are my brother and we both have the Cataliri surname, but that doesn't mean I trust you." "Siblings don't hate each other this much. Besides, you even stood up for me when I was being bullied." "Ugh, don't remind me of that. I didn't do it for you. You're already milking that angle dry, even though it happened years ago." "It's my motivation to do well in these games. It's better than your motive anyway." Halyn tossed her empty chocolate wrapper aside and looked at me, with a deep hatred in her eyes. "Get...out" I know how dangerous her temper could be, so I did as she asked and left. Something was wrong. I could feel it. What is really going on with Halyn? What's her true motive? And what was that white thing? References Category:Blog posts